Ripples and Puzzles
by perseverance-n
Summary: Being reborn into the world of anime comes with side effects as Rue learns that she holds knowledge about One Piece but she can barely recall anything from her past life. SI-OC/Spoilers/Some AU.
1. The Beginning

**A/N:** I don't know what to say about this story. It's another idea I have since I'm in the midst of watching _One Piece_. My inspiration comes from the first episode of _The Seven Deadly Sins_. I thought it's a great way to begin this fanfic.

 **Disclaimer:** One Piece is not mine. :( I only own my OCs.

 **Warning** : Self-insert, OCs, OOCs, written in first person, violence, Mary-sue, some alternate universe, and may have some bad grammar. Also, there will be mind play or mental issues involved for the main character. Try reading before judging it.

 _ **Please leave no flames.**_

* * *

I watch five strange people eating together at a table. Four of them are males and one is a female. One male- straw hat- gobbles food like it's running away from him. The other men complain about him eating all the food. The other pretty female just sighs and turns her head away from the commotion.

Nome, the owner of Yover, says the five-mysterious people must be pirates because a pirate's ship can be viewed at the edge of the town. Other customers don't seem to be bothered by them, especially the blond busty lady who passes them like they mean nothing. Nome doesn't worry that the pirates are shady folks. They are dressed too normally to stand out, well, except for a man who wears three swords and carries a scary expression on his face. I try my best to stay clear of him.

It's not that I am a coward. In my line of work, being a waitress and all, I see and hear things, enough to spell trouble. And the man wearing a straw hat on his head, eating with a carefree expression on his face, is also a magnet for trouble.

How do I know? It goes beyond instinct to pure knowledge. I just know.

So I keep clear of them while watching, because I wait for a moment when a fight is about to break out. Then, I'll take my cue to leave. The last thing I want to do is draw any attention to myself. It's the reason I choose to work as a waitress in Yover Inn, in hopes that I don't run into any pirates, the marines or anyone else with an intelligence to see that I'm different from everyone else in this world.

My eyes settle on the orange haired female. She's the one I have to be wary of. Her mind is as sharp as a tact.

"Rue, take these ales to them fellows over there," Nome's voice calls to me. I take my eyes off the shady pirates and make my way to the counter where a tray of ales is waiting for me. Quickly, I glance to the bulletin board behind the bar table to see the wanted posters. One poster of a young black-haired guy sporting a goofy grin and donning an oversize hat catches my attention. I find it hard to believe that no one is observant enough to notice that the same person is eating in the tavern with us.

"Serving today will be great."

I blink and nod my head to Nome. Then I take the tray from the counter and make my way through the rowdiness of drunkards in the tavern. I swerve away from a roaming hand when the female with orange hair looks in my direction. I avert my gaze to another table where a group of men are singing and laughing over their craziness.

Hastily, but with ease, I put the tray down on their table.

"Thanks miss," one of the men say.

"How ab-ut joinin' us?" another man slurs his words.

I shake my head while plastering a fake smile on my face. Before one of the drunkards can get a hold of me, I step away but that leads me to look at the table where the pirates occupy and the same orange hair woman signals with her hand to bring more ale.

Inwardly, I curse at my bitter luck. Now, I am going to be walking into trouble. Instead, I incline my head to her and make my way back to the bar to get her order.

Nome hands me a tray of more ale. I add some more soups and freshly baked bread with the cups.

"Great, they're some of our best paying customers." Nome approves of my work.

I wove through the pack of drunkards, dodging hands that tries to grab me. Halfway through my trek, I catch Nome's eye. He nods encouragingly at me, his black hair gleaming in the dim light. He wants me to keep them drinking. To keep them buying. Surely with how straw hat eats, his friends and him are going to be occupying the table for some time.

I avoid making eye contact with them. Of all people to meet in this world, I come across Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp. The fates must be laughing at me.

As I put their tray on the table I hear, "Thanks." I can assume the display of gratitude is coming from the captain of pirates. I refuse to glance at his usually smiling face.

I take my leave immediately and notify with a flicker of my eyes for the other waitress to serve the table. Her face lightens up at the prospect of getting heavily tipped. I don't mind. I rather avoid conflict then make extra money.

"You just gave her the good customers," Nome says as he goes back to making drinks for other patrons.

"Lena's the one with the pretty face. Better the pirates part with their money for her," I reply.

"That's not the way we do business."

"I'm aware of that, boss. But they're pirates and I'm better off leaving Lena to handle them." The truth is I do not want to be reminded that somehow, I am reborn into an anime world and I happen to be in a world where pirates rule the waters. One Piece.

I pick up some wet mugs and with a clean cloth that Nome already set on the bar table, I begin to wipe the mugs.

"She may know how to handle them, but you have the cuter face."

I do not respond to my boss' comment.

"Besides, you can use the extra money for some new clothes."

I pause in my task and raise both eyebrows at my boss. "Since when do you notice my clothing?"

"Since you're not like Lena or other women who spend their money frolicking over who has the best dress."

I drop the cloth from my hand and set the dry mug on the table. Putting my hand in the air I begin counting each finger, "First, I'm not Lena. Second, I have better things to do with my money like pay rent and food. Third, clothes are just material and I don't want to have too much of it. Lastly, I don't have the space."

"Or maybe you don't have the right guy in your life to look good for," Lena replies from behind me.

I roll my eyes at her. In this world, many people are old fashioned. "I have better things to ponder." Like how I'm going to survive.

"I'll let you think but I will need some help carrying the orders to the patrons you ditched." She gives a slip of paper to Nome. His eyes widened at the list of food.

"Well, tonight we're going to have enough money for you to buy those extra clothes. I am going in the back to get those cooks to make this big feast," Nome says. "Lena, keep them busy."

"You got it, boss." She turns to me. "And I wish you good luck." She swipes a hand through her brown hair to keep the strands in place. Her dark brown eyes glitter.

I choose to remain silent. With Nome in the kitchen and Lena serving the customers, I am left to hold the fort. More orders come to me and with deftness and memorizing how Nome makes his drinks, I make them before passing them off to Lena. I examine the way she nimbly dodges men who grope her, all without disturbing the tray on her shoulder. She has swift feet, good balance, and is intelligent. I wonder on many occasions what makes her work in the tavern. Unlike me, I've been alone since I can remember. My parents died in one of the pirates' pillage in our town. Maya, an old lady, at the time took me in and she cared for me like I was her daughter. She taught me the basics -to read, write and do math. But then she died from an illness, a rare type of disease that ate away her strength. After her death, some weird men took everything of hers, claiming that her personal possessions and property belonged to her family. A family that never visited her while she was alive.

Shaking my head from those sullen thoughts, I shift my gaze to the pirates. I see the slight tense in the swordsman's shoulders. His head is down, his eyes are closed. Straw hat has an unreadable expression on his face. Pointy nose looks like he wants the floor to open and swallow him whole while the blond has his legs crossed. A cigarette dangles from his fingers. Their female companion sits straight up, her fingers grabbing at the hem of her yellow mini-skirt. Her pretty face is serious. There is no denying, the atmosphere at their table is intense. Almost as if they're asking for a fight.

I stop mid-task of wiping more mugs. It's then I observe the other men and few women in the tavern are quiet. What the heck just happened? My eyes dart to Lena. She is safely at the counter. I glance around the room, trying to add what I miss. The atmosphere in Yover changed. It is as if everyone is waiting for something. I look to the five pirates sitting still at their table. My eyes land on the swordsman, who is sitting like a statue. His right hand is placed on the hilt of one of his swords.

I want to leave. It's my cue to exit the room. But I can't find it in me to abandon Nome, Lena and the other cooks.

All I can do is keep looking at the Zoro. So do the other patrons. Are they waiting for him to attack? Do they recognize his captain as a wanted person in the ad? There are some thieves, hunters, mercenaries, who will take a leap at fighting the pirates.

Shall I drop one of the cups on the floor to distill the atmosphere? I bite my lip, realizing that I haven't let out a breath for the fear of capturing everyone's attention. Even now, my heart is pounding fast in my chest.

I should do something, anything to stop the intenseness building in the room. Maybe if I can sneak into the back, warn Nome about the stillness in the room. He's one to bring in good entertainment.

Unfortunately, bits and pieces of my life starts to flash before my eyes. Me, as a little girl playing by a pool side when I suddenly fall into a deeper end of a pool. I'm in middle school and I get into a fight with another girl over a group of friends or whom I thought were friends. Then I'm running late for class in high school and as I'm about to walk to the school building a police van stops in front of me and I'm escorted into their vehicle. The last image is of me, looking skinny, sickly and pale, laying in a hospital bed and my parents are crying for me.

My hand lets go of the mug. It clatters on the counter before rolling to the edge, falling on the floor and breaking into smithereens. All eyes shift to me and it's the weight of their stares that brings me to myself.

In rare cases like this one, snippets of my previous life flood my mind. And then I'm hit with reality. I know I lived and died before. I understand that I have been reborn. But I can barely remember my past. Yet everything about this world, One Piece, I do recall the characters, the setting, and the events. I feel like my mind has been programmed with information from the start. And I can only think of one reason for having knowledge about One Piece whereas I can't recall my own name from my last life. The side effect from being reborn into a world of anime means that memories of who I was is a puzzle. To make everything worse, I have a desire to discover my past.

Yes, I'm not normal, which is why I have to be extra careful around people.

A broad hand is wrapped around my waist. "Such a pretty face should be sitting with me," a man says, grinning down at me with a wolf's smile. I step back, but his hold on me is strong.

"I've work to do," I say with a neutral voice. I am use to getting myself out of situations -where men want me to keep them company. It no longer scares me.

"How about you use the same attention on me," another man adds in. He's a mercenary with a worn-looking blade strapped to his back. In the corner of my peripheral vision, Lena is walking toward us.

"My shift is coming to an end," I say as pleasantly as I can while stepping back. Calmly, I pry the first mercenary's fingers off my waist. Inwardly, I sigh in relief when he lets go and doesn't make an attempt to latch back on.

"What are doing after?" the second male asks.

"I'm going home to my husband," I lie. He glances down to my finger and luckily, I wear a couple of rings on my fingers, especially one on my wedding finger. It's a technique Lena taught me to fend off rough men.

Both men scowl and lose interest in me. I breathe easier as they leave me alone. Lena finally reaches me. She's reading my facial expression, learning long ago never to verbally announce my distress. I do the same for her if our situations are reverse. Reading I'm okay, she grabs the drinks that I already made and left on the counter to send to the other patrons. All around me, the intenseness has faded, like it wasn't the air. Again, I exhale in relief.

I go back to holding the fort until Nome and a couple of other cooks come from the kitchen with plates full of delicious food. They set the dishes on the trays, motioning me to serve our temporarily best patrons. Turning my attention to straw hat and his crew, signs of respite vanishes. The pirates I want to avoid are the same ones I have to face.

I hoist the tray on my shoulder and I mentally chant the letters of the alphabet in my head to calm me down. Only thirty more minutes and then my shift will be over. I can say goodbye to Luffy and his crew because they don't stay long in towns. This is going to be no different.

"Thank you for waiting," I say to the pirates as I reach their table and I serve them as I normally do with the other customers.

* * *

 **A/N:** If you do decide to continue reading this fanfic, thank you.


	2. How We Meet

"Thanks a bunch," Lena says to me as I finish serve the last customer.

"You have nothing to thank me for," I tell her back.

"Yeah, I do," she remarks. Before I can stop her, she puts money in my pocket.

I frown at her action. "You know I can't accept this. It's your tip money."

She laughs while waving her hand in the air. "Stop playing noble. You deserve some of it for giving me the table with the pirates."

My eyes widen. Honestly, I'm not suppose to be astonished. Lena's an intelligent young woman but the fact that no one reacts violently to pirates being in our town sure leaves a lot of questions, especially since my parents were killed by pirates.

"Don't act surprise." The other woman shakes her head. "Our boss is the first one to observe them."

My head moves slightly side-to-side. "I just thought…" A hand touches my forehead.

"There'll be some fight." Lena breaks my thoughts. "You forget you stopped them?"

I snap in her direction. "What?"

"Seriously, your absent mindedness gets me every time." She laughs again and returns to her task of wiping mugs. Business has slowed down, except for the pirates who are still eating at their table.

"What do you mean I stopped them?" I need to know the answer to that question. Her answer will be the judge to whether I can continue staying on Whaler Island.

"Really, you don't know?" she asks me in return, acting all casually.

"No."

She pauses in her task and looks at me. Her brown eyes -I must say- are scary. I feel like there's more knowledge that she hides in them. "Really?"

"Lena."

She inhales a breath. "I don't what else to say."

"Lena." It's like she leaves me hanging on purpose.

"All right." She puts down the mug, her eyes quickly scanning the bar, before putting her elbows on the counter.

I lean against the counter, making sure my back is to the shady pirates.

"Well," she begins to tell her adventure. "Just when everyone is frozen, as if waiting for someone to pull out a sword or gun, your cup falls down on the counter, rolling. That dragging noise makes everybody look at you and then your cups drops to the ground and shatters."

She then shrugs her shoulders and raises her hands into the air. "And that's it."

"What?"

"One look at you," she points to me, "And they lost interest in a fight."

"No," I begin denying. "That's not the story."

"It is." She shrugs again and goes back to doing her job.

"I can't stop a fight." I don't know if I should be breathing easier because nothing abnormal doesn't happen or if I should feel offended.

"I mean look at me." I gesture to my body.

She laughs. Her laughter twinkles and get the eyes of the male patrons. "I know. You're so cute!"

"No I'm not!" I shout back.

"That's why we make a great working pair," she sings. "I'm beautiful and you're cute."

I look up to the ceiling and pinch the skin with my forefinger and thumb. I'm trying my best not to shout at her.

When she's no longer singing, I squint my eyes at her. "I'm telling you, my appearance didn't stop them from fighting."

"Keep telling yourself that," she says to me. "Besides, can you do me a favor?"

"What is it?"

"Can you take out the trash before you leave?"

She doesn't have to ask twice. The other waitress reports to work, Katy is her name. She is pretty and quick on her feet like Lena but she doesn't talk much.

I leave Lena to her work and start gathering the trash. Usually, Nome takes out the trash, demanding that it's demeaning and unsafe for us females to do it. However, the sun still hasn't set outside.

Besides, I can feel relieved that she and the others don't find out I'm different. There are times when scenes from my previous life flashes in my mind and reality becomes a blur. I like to think that I have blackouts, because those times I see a different world, I can still be in the midst of doing something and I won't be aware of it. But it's what I'm doing that frightens me? I learn long ago that in One Piece, impossible things can happen.

I lug a pile of trash in the back and throw the bag to the side of the wall. Nome won't be throwing much trash away tonight. I look at the sky to see peaks of yellow, orange and dark blue. I acknowledge the sun is about to set on Whaler Island. I sigh. The end of another day.

Soon the Straw Hats are going to depart from the island and make their way to the Grand Line. I recall standing at the docks, overlooking the blue waters. My eyes squinting to see beyond the horizon. The Grand Line is dangerous and chaotic with its unpredictable weathers and unknown wildlife. Whaler Island is considered to be the last island off the Calm Belt in the East End of the water. Hardly ships come to the island because of an unknown current that changes course around the island, taking any ships with it.

I wonder if the current is somehow connected to the Grand Line. But that means that the current somehow makes its way through the Calm Belt. I shake my head at the thought.

There's a crack of something sharp behind me. My eyebrows tug together. My hands clench into fists. And there's again, a sharp tug in my mind. Trouble has followed me behind the bar. Slowly, I raise a hand to my forehead to rub the ache away.

"Aren't you going to look at us girl?" The masculine voice is familiar. Sounds like….

I oblige, spinning to face them. Two men. The same as before in the bar.

"You don't want to mess with me," I tell them calmly while still rubbing my aching head.

They begin roaring, their bilious laughter echoing in the alley. They pay no heed to my warning.

Still laughing at me, I exhale. My hand drops to my sides and I make a move for the open doorway. Suddenly, one of them blocks me. The other one closes in from behind.

"Move," I say simply.

I feel the tall man behind me, looming over the crown of my head. His hot breath reeks of ale. "Give us you' money."

"No thanks."

A sharp blade points to my neck. I breathed in, looking unfazed.

It's about to happen, they're asking for it.

"Do you want to die?" The man in front of me asks. His ugly face contorts into a grin of malice.

"I don't mind. Besides, I already did," I answer them honestly. Death is painful but here I am.

"You bitch!" The sharp end of the blade digs deep into my neck. I wince and warm liquid seeps down my neck.

The pain in my head gets sharper. I'm moving forward, the blade is piercing deeper into my neck and then I hear, "Gum gum!"

The man in front of me is pulled by large hands backward. His facial expression shifts into horror as he taken away from me.

"What the…" The other man, I assume with the huge sword at his back, is about to say when there's a thump and then silence.

In front of me, the first man gets hit with several punches before he drops to the ground and then straw hat along with his companions are staring at me.

"Hey there," he calls out casually to me. He fixes the special hat on his head while grinning. "Are you okay?"

I nod my head. My eyes take in every member of Luffy's crew. The pretty Nami is watching the unconscious attacker on the ground. Sanji's looking at me with heart in his eyes and Usopp has his arms folded across his chest.

"I'm surprise you're not shocked at the stretching arms," the orange hair girl remarks.

"Staying here makes you use to seeing different things," I answer her.

"Really?" she asks. She doesn't believe me. Can't say I blame her. Whaler Island is a secluded island and it's rare that normal travelers find it. The island tends to draw more of the serious or bizarre kind of travelers like the marines or pirates.

"Yep."

"Well, Captain Usopp and his crew has saved you," pointy nose says with a dramatic air.

"Actually, straw hat next to you and the swordsman knocked out the men," I point out.

At the information, he deflates.

"Shishishishi," Luffy laughs. "She got you there."

My eyebrows tug together on my face. It's something I notice but I do not mention it until now. "Your swordsman."

"Behind you."

I whirl around to see dark eyes scrutinizing me. He hands me a cloth and motions to my neck. Instantly understanding his meaning I take the cloth and press the fabric against my cut. I flinch a little from the pain.

"You're brave," Luffy says.

"Let me guess? You were waiting for me to be a damsel in distress?"

"Not-" The pointy nose is going to say something

"Why yes," the blond shouts out.

I shake my head. "Sorry to burst your bubble but that's not me." Not when I know when things are going to happen. Again, I don't know how I know. It goes beyond sensing. There's a tug in my mind, like someone taking a hammer to a nail and then I know.

I can't say my ability is a devil's fruit like Luffy's ability to stretch like a rubber band. No, I can hope with time I will find out more about me.

The words "I like you" pulls me out of my thoughts. "That's it!"

"Oh no!" Nami says.

"He's going to say it," the swordsman mumbles from behind me.

"How about you join my crew?" the straw hat asks. A big grin appears on his face.

A small smile tugs on my lips. "I appreciate the offer but no thanks."

The chef's jaw drops along with pointy nose at my answer.

Nami moves her pretty head side-to-side. "Well, you heard her."

The captain frowns at me. He folds his hands across his chest as if trying to figure out why I reject him. This is definitely not a first. Nami too rejects his offer before he saves her. So my rejecting isn't shocking to him.

"Why not?" This question from him is unexpected. Usually, he grins and sort of accepts an answer.

"Because being with you means more trouble. I don't want that." I give the captain an honest answer while wiping the remanents of blood from my neck and shoving the cloth in my pocket.

"She gets to the point," the swordsman says behind me.

Luffy frowns even more like he's thinking and well, thinking is unlike him. "But you can live a life of an adventurer, make friends, sing and dance."

I'm shaking my head and then I press my thumb and forefinger against my closed eyelids. The pressure in my head begins to throb and I'm mentally begging to not have images flashing in my head. Nami, the smartest one out of the group, will notice.

As if she read my mind, I hear her comment. "She doesn't look good."

"Hey, you're okay, right?" The other voice sounds like Usopp and he's a next one who can be pretty smart too.

"Perhaps she needs a good meal," the chef replies.

I open my eyes and shake my hands in protest. "Nah, I'm fine. I just need to go home and rest."

"Makes sense. A waitress job is hard work," the orange head girl agrees.

"But it's boring," the straw hat remarks while he crosses his arms against his exposed chest.

"Don't say that!" the pirate female shouts. She hits him on the head.

"What's that for?" He rubs his head. The other pirates roll their eyes at him.

At that moment I can't help but smile at their reaction. Their journey hasn't truly begun yet and yet they still have a camaraderie between them. Wait until they learn teamwork.

"Yeah, I should really get going," I say. Then not forgetting my manners, I bow deeply to them. "Thank you."

"Huh?" The captain is lost.

I stand up and smile at each of them. "Thank you for saving my life."

Luffy starts to laugh. "Shishishi." He points at me. "That's why I like you."

His laughter is infectious.

"Thank you and bye." I move toward the door and walk inside Yover. Soon the place will become lively. Nome looks in my direction and there's a slant in his eyebrows. Without hesitating, he makes his way to me. "What are you still doing here?"

"I went to put the trash out in the back."

"You know you don't have to do that." Dislike for me doing what he doesn't want me to do flickers across his face. His dark eyes shift over my shoulder. "And who are they?"

Glancing behind me, I see Luffy and his crew follow me into the room. There's a big toothy grin on his face. I turn back and sigh. Really, someone should've notice his wanted ad by now.

"I just met them in the alley."

There's a serious expression that takes over Nome's face.

I exhale a breath. I'm not being careful. "They're good people," I quickly cover. I don't want to sound ungrateful for them saving me but I don't want to alarm Nome either.

"Oh, really?" He questions.

"Yes." I crane my neck over my shoulder, my eyes landing on the captain. "Do you need a place to stay for the night? My boss will give you a great deal."

He's nodding his head, the ever so gullible captain of the Straw Hat Pirates.

"Wait," the female pirate says.

"It will be nice to sleep in a bed," Usopp replies.

"Yeah," the other males agree with him.

I turn my attention to Nome. "You heard 'em. They want a room for the night."

Nome laughs. "Well, of course. Any friend of Rue's is a friend of ours."

My boss passes me and is about to put his arm around Luffy when the orange head girl darts in between us and begins using her feminine charms to her advantage. I take it as my cue to leave. I wave at Lena. She cheerily waves back at me. I walk through the main door, careful not to touch anyone.

It's on my twelfth step outside, I pause. The sensation in my head tingles. I fold my arms across my chest and inhale a breath. Without whirling on my feet, I call, "Okay, you can stop following me."

"Shishishi," Luffy's laughter hits my ears.

I turn to look at him while keeping my arms folded and my facial expression is blank.

Straw hat stops laughing. His toothy smile is still in place. "I really like you."

"I got that already," I respond back.

"You're funny."

"Thanks," I say a little bit sarcastically. I really want to leave him so I can go home.

"That's why you're going to join my crew."

I put a hand to my forehead. Closing my eyes, I'm mentally counting backward from ten to one. "That's not possible."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not interested."

"But you're going to have fun."

"I already have fun."

"You don't look like you do."

"That's because I take my job seriously."

"Then you don't have fun."

I'm done arguing with this captain. I pivot on my feet and walk ten steps forward. "Will you stop following me?" I call out.

"No," I hear.

"When will you stop following me?" I look to the sky that is darkening with every minute.

"When you join my crew."

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for your wonderful support. :)

By the way, does anyone notice that Nome doesn't didn't mention anything about the cut on Rue's throat?

Please leave a review.


	3. Talking with the Captain of Straw Hats

"Keep my head down, keep my head down," I keep telling myself.

"Shishishishi," Luffy laughs. "Why do you sing that song?"

"The song is a reminder not to join your crew," I respond back to him.

"Aw, but you'll have a lot of fun."

I sigh. I end up inviting the pirate into my home -considering that he'll get lost before he finds his way back into Yover. I don't have much of a place. I stay in a two-room place. One corner is the kitchen -refrigerator, stove, a counter with cabinets below. In the center of my room is the table with two chairs. And at the other end of the room is my bed. I have a futon for Lena when she comes over to stay. The other room is the bathroom. But in my head, I look at two rooms as one.

Luffy stacks more cooked meat into his mouth. He's gobbling them like he never gets food. Instead of being like the others -questioning his eating habits- I accept his ways. Meat is his fuel.

"You can stay here tonight," I offer. "There's an extra futon. I'll get it all set up for you."

He pauses and frowns. Some pieces of food are at the corner of his mouth. "Why?"

"You might as well stay here until the morning. I will be heading back at Yover and you can come with me." I point to the window. "Besides it's already late."

Nighttime isn't the best time to travel around Whaler Island. Rowdy people and bounty hunters travel at night. People are always looking for ways to make money on Whaler Island and Luffy is the money they need.

He surprises me. "Okay." Then he goes back to gorging his food.

Before he can ask I say, "I don't have any more meat left but Lena will be bringing extra provisions in the morning. She looks after me like I'm her little sister."

"Shishishishi."

I shake my head and smile. Luffy is the younger brother of Ace. I guess we both have that in common. I stand up from my seat at the table and my waitress mode gets back in full gear. I'm picking up dishes and stacking them in both arms. I lean the plates into my body while I wobble my way to the sink.

The straw hat barks with laughter. Putting the dishes down, my neck cranes over my shoulder. He appears so carefree, like a child. His straw hat is behind his head. A string is being used as a necklace for his hat. I can't help wondering how his hat survives his battles to come.

Shanks is really a special person to him for him to keep it close.

Luffy's mouth is wide open, all his white teeth are showing, which is weird after eating all that food I put out for him. His hands are on his belly. I think he might fall off his chair. I pivot on my feet and I move quickly to the table, picking the remaining dishes.

"Wow," he remarks. There are stars in his eyes.

"What?" I ask while I'm returning to the sink to wash the dishes.

"How do you move so fast?"

I blink. It's the first time someone mentions about my speed. Usually, I'm not as quick as Lena or Katy when they are serving lots of customers. I learn to accept it but hearing the comment from him I can't help saying, "It must be from waitressing all those years."

"How long have been doing your job?"

I blink again. Is it me or is the straw hat keeping up a conversation with me?

"Uhh... perhaps seven years."

"How old are you?"

I smile. That's a question he'll definitely ask a female.

"I will be seventeen years in two days."

"No way!" he exclaims.

I'm finishing washing the last plates when I turn off the faucet and pivot my feet. I reach for a towel beside the sink and wipe my hands dry. "Why?"

"You look younger."

I'm not shocked by my appearance. I've been told many times I look younger than my age. My face is round. My hair is chin short and light blue. My eyes are a deep green. If I compare myself to Nami, I'll be a couple inches shorter than her and not as curvaceous. I have more a slender build. I'm not ashamed of my looks.

Having youngish looks have advantages. For one Nome and Lena pampers me. They take on the big responsibilities, leaving me with the easier things to complete. It's better that way. I need to hide, knowing that I'm different and all.

Two, I'm seen as adorable, so no one takes me seriously.

And three, if something does happen, I act all innocent and get away with anything.

Yep, there are perks to looking younger than my age.

"Thanks."

"Are you going to have a party?"

Knowing Lena and Nome, they are going to hold one at Yover.

"Nope."

"Aw, it's your birthday. You should definitely have one with a big birthday cake and lots of food."

"If I do have one and you're still around, I'll invite you."

"Really?" His dark eyes light up.

"Really."

He claps his hands together and cheers like a little kid.

"Okay, it's time for bed."

"Noooooo," he whines.

"How about I tell you a bedtime story?"

"Okay," he says, sounding all cheery.

I give him a small towel so he can wipe his face clean and then direct him toward the bathroom. I tell him I'm not going to tell his story until he completely refreshes himself. I leave him to do his things while I make up the futon on the floor. He's back, stretching his arms into the air and putting his special hat on the table.

"Your bed is all set."

"Thanks." He's grinning.

"No problem."

As he throws himself on the futon, I picture him jumping up and down on it like some kid. He will really do it if I give him a chance. But he astonishes me when he's laying down with his hands threaded together on his stomach. His eyes are closed.

I sit down on my bed, glancing at him awkwardly.

"Aren't you going to tell me the bedtime story?"

"Oh yeah," I say, remembering. I have bad memory or short-term memory.

His lips stretch on his face.

I inhale a deep breath and begin telling him a tale that Lena regales from time-to-time. Only the Whalers know the story but I see no harm in retelling it to Luffy. He's not one to brag to others.

"A long time ago when the World Government first formed their laws, there were two groups of people. One group supported the new Government and the other was against them. The group for the World Government were offered lands. The ones who could contribute to the Government were given money. The other group didn't have the same resources and fought for it. This caused a big war known as the Thrift War. The ones who didn't support the Government were at the biggest disadvantage. They didn't have enough weapons and food to survive. Many of them died in battle. Other died by diseases. The survivors were rounded up and killed."

His face scrunches up. "I don't like this story. It's too sad."

"It about to get better," I reassure him.

"Okay."

"Not all the survivors were killed. Some of the Government Officials experimented on them and those survivors were put on a boat to sail the eastern waters. They were banished from the islands that supported the Government but the Officials were curious about their work. They left the group of people to float out their last days on the eastern waters until the expected happened."

Straw Hat opens his eyes. "What?"

"A big whale, a behemoth called the Potassium Whale swallowed the ship whole."

"Cool!"

"Yep, I know."

He sits up. His eyes shining. "What happens next?"

"Instead of the people dying, they found they lived and stayed within the whale's stomach."

He frowns. "Won't they die?"

I smile while shaking my head. "No. They live because the whale took them to a place where no one else knew at the time."

"Where?"

"This island is where those people were spit out by the Potassium Whale."

"Really?"

"Yes. And seeing that this island had enough food and building resources, they made a home out of this place. They call themselves the whalers."

"So cool!"

"Yep, and up until today, the World Government doesn't know that the people inhabiting this island are the same ones they banished into the sea. Instead they think some big storm destroyed their boat."

"I really like this story."

"Thanks. Lena tells it to me but she's the better storyteller."

His eyebrows tug together. "You told it good too."

"Umm..." I'm rubbing the back of my head. "Thanks."

"No problem. Shishishishi."

"Well, it's time to sleep." I'm going to turn off the light when I hear snoring. I glance at him and my head moves side-to-side. The captain can fall asleep anywhere.

Instead of flickering off the light, I make my way to the bathroom to refresh myself when I realize something. Luffy won't tell the bedtime story unless someone asks. I have to ask him to keep the story a secret. The Whalers considers the Navy, Pirates, and any other travelers as outsiders. If they learn that I told Luffy our story, they'll imprison me, or worse...

Damn it!

I put a hand to my head. I can feel the throbs of a headache in throe.

With the Straw Hats, I just know they are trust worthy. They are different from other pirates. They befriend people, help them in their struggles. Perhaps this is the reason I tell him the Whalers' story.

"I'm just looking for excuses to make myself feel better," I say to myself. "I'll make him promise not to say anything. That's all."

I head into the bathroom and shut the door. The light is already on. It's the only light I leave on at night. I'm not a fan of sleeping in dark places. The darkness makes me uncomfortable.

I start to strip myself from my work clothes when I see an image of myself in the mirror. My eyes widen. The cut! Nome and the others...

How can I forget such a trivial thing? Nome doesn't like any of his workers to get hurt on the job. He's especially protective over me, Lena, Katy and Olive. As waitresses, he feels obligated to protect us.

"Uhh, me and my short-term memory."

I stand there, staring at myself in the image just debating on walking back to the inn and explain myself to the boss. Tiredness wins. I'll wait until the morning.

I spend the rest of the night doing my regular routines before sleep and then head my way to the bed. I take off the light, making sure the one in the bathroom is still on. This night, though, I'm in a one noisy sleep.

OoO

"What the hell!" I hear a voice yelling first thing in the morning. "What the heck are you doing here?"

I'm up from bed in an instant and I'm using my waitress speed to stand in front of Lena. My arms extend at my sides.

"Shishishishishishi." Luffy's laughter barks in the background. I pay no attention as I'm trying to calm down my friend.

"He followed me home."

"He what?"

Dang it, I'm using the wrong words. "He's a friend."

Her brown eyes skip over me to land on him. She eyes him skeptically. "Did you both do it?"

"Do it?" Luffy repeats behind myself.

If the floor can open up and swallow me whole, now will be the right time. No one else but Lena can get emotional reactions from me. Others speak of me being like a wall. I'm simply calm they say. At times I don't respond the right way. Little do they know, my head is like a shipwreck. I have pieces floating on the water, the boat split in two and is on the ocean floor in complete darkness for solace and other parts are laying somewhere around the wreckage.

I pause, my hand going under my chin. Ship wreckage, huh?

"His arms, they just stretched!" a horrified voice breaks into my thoughts.

I'm blinking and I'm seeing Luffy literally gulping down food. Does he chew?

"Rue? How can you stand there and not react?"

I shrug my shoulders. "It's nothing new because he and his crew saved me from some bad guys last night."

Her pretty facial features scrunches together.

"By the way thanks for the extra food. If you're not around, I'll starve."

But then again, I'm not a big eater. I've been told many times from Nome and the other cooks that I eat like a bird. Nome likes to tease me about the wind being strong enough to carry me away.

I make my way to the table and dive my hand into a basket with freshly baked bread, cheese, boiled eggs, and bacon. Nome and Lena are truly the best.

I take a slice of bread, put a cheese and egg on it. Then I'm chewing my food.

"Lena, Luffy, Luffy this is Lena," I quickly introduce in between my bites.

She waves awkwardly, still skittish. I leave the two alone since I no longer sense danger. I make my way to the bathroom as I finish my last bite to get ready for work. I have to relieve Olive from duty. She's another pretty waitress that works late in the night and she's more experienced than all of us.

As I am about to put on my shirt, the bathroom door suddenly opens. I cover the upper part of my body with my white shirt. My eyes darting to Lena. Quickly, she shuts the door. Her brown eyes wide. Her brown hair looks a little rumpled. She's nervous. Well, I will be too if I go into other people's bathrooms with someone inside.

But Lena won't do her action without good reason.

"What?" I wait for her.

No longer caring and because she's a girl, I move the shirt away from me and start to put it on bra.

"I don't know how to say this," she begins. She is twiddling her fingers and she's not watching me anymore.

"Lena?"

"Ummm... hahahaha."

"Lena?" With my shirt in place, I grab my friend by the shoulders with my hands to stop her from fidgeting.

And then a throbbing in my head makes me pull away from her. I'm clutching my head, leaning into a wall and am sinking to the floor.

Again, somehow I know what she's going to tell me. I can't explain how. It just happens to me. My head becomes full of knowledge about this world.

"Rue, are you okay?" I feel her beside me. She's trying to comfort me but I push her hands away. We don't have time for my sulking. I need for us to get to Luffy's crew.

* * *

 **A/N:** This chapter may have a different feel of writing because I was writing for humor but oh well. I appreciate you reading.


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